Welcome to Maharani Weddings

Hello, beautiful Maharanis! Do you know what day today is? Today is Friday, the perfect day to say I do and fall in love with an Indian Fusion love story! Stephanie & Paul are a gorgeous couple who decided to join their lives together at the St. James Catholic Church, followed by a grand reception party at The Grand Marquis, a place where your dreams come to life. The reception overflowed with the most delightful decoration; the bride and groom were amazed to see the fairy tail Florista Decor put together exclusively for them. Every detail went off flawlessly thanks to the magnificent planning of Jessy J. Events. I adore this celebration of love! Now, let me tell you about the beautiful attires our lovely Maharani wore. Kleinfeld Bridal and Hayley Paige dressed up Stephanie with exclusive designs that made her look like a real queen! But that is not all! Rebecca Lee Artistry and Pashka Gjinaj created spectacular hair and makeup designs that praised this Maharani's innate beauty. And I think we can all agree that she looked breathtaking! No wonder why Paul chose our Maharani to be his companion for the rest of his life! The romance was all over the place, and to put a musical touch to this event; our lovebirds decided to call D&S Event Solutions. They know how to animate a wedding festivity glamorously! And in case you were wondering who is the mastermind behind the breathtaking shots that we are sharing with you today, it is no other than the highly talented team from Studio KSD who went above and beyond on every photograph they captured during this love story! So wait no more, and get ready to enjoy today's full gallery. We're sure it will get you inspired! 

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
I knew he was "the one" when his flight got cancelled and he drove 10 hours from NYC to Detroit to surprise me for my birthday!

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
https://howtheyasked.com/paul-and-stephanie/

Tell us how you went about planning your wedding, and your overall experience with the Venues, Hair & Makeup, Outfits, Decor Theme, and all of the other important details.
Our wedding was originally scheduled for May 23-May 24, 2020, but we decided to postpone about a month before due to the pandemic. We luckily were able to get our venue deposit back which gave us more flexibility in choosing a new date for 2021. We didn't finalize our new date & venue until February 2021, but somehow we managed to realign every single one of our original vendors for our new dates on June 12-June13, 2021 with a new venue we loved even more. It was the wait worth it.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
Wedding dress: I always knew I wanted a dress with a full skirt/ballgown because when else in life would I get a chance to wear something like that and feel like a princess?! had the opportunity to meet one of my favorite designers, Hayley Paige, during my appointment at Kleinfeld. I worked with Hayley to mix & match two of her gowns and said was lucky to have four of my best friends and my sister by my side while I said "Yes!" to my own custom wedding dress.
Top: HP "Tulua" gown (low scoop back, crystal bodice, scalloped jewel halter neckline)
Bottom: HP "Dare" gown (Ivory draped organza cascading skirt)

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Not going to lie, all the uncertainty of COVID made the planning process very stressful. Postponing meant we had 2 & 1/2 year engagement period. But the best part of being a bride-to-be was all my friends and family were extra nice to me ;)

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
Our venues & the food! Our cocktail hour at the Grand Marquis, NJ had amazing stations. Our DJ was great and everyone danced away two nights in a row

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
The first thing Paul said to me when I walked down the aisle was "I love your dress" with a big smile on his face. All my nerves for the day went away.

For events other than your ceremony, please tell us as much as you would like about the decor, style, dances, and all the special details.
For our pre-wedding night we had a combined Mylanchi & Chantham Charth event at the Neel Kamal hall Royal Alberts palace. The hall's pre-set decor around the walls made it really feel like an Indian palace. I worked with FloristaDecor and designed the stage to feel like we were sitting in a palace garden. My family's color theme was lime green & Paul's family color theme was lavender. I designed my two lenghas at Milan Design-Kochi. Both of our families had their own grand entrance with song and dance. Paul and I came out on a floral decorated bicycle rikshaw (by FloristaDecor) while he pedaled to "Mere Sapno Ki Rani".

Do you have any words of wisdom for Brides-To-Be?
Take professional dance lessons for your first dance! My husband was a little reluctant at first, but we both had so much fun at Fred Astaire Dance Studios-Midtown. We only took 5 lessons but each session was a much-needed break from all the wedding stress and left us feeling happier and closer to each other.

Our First Dance Song: Speechless - Dan & Shay

Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details! (jewelry, mehndi, venue, cake, bouquets, etc.)
My engagement ring is rose gold (LaurenB Jeweler) and I really wanted to have a rose gold thali (minnu) to match also. I've never seen one in rose gold before, so we went shopping in India hoping to find it, but jewelers only had yellow gold and white gold ones available. So we had a rose gold "Knanaya minnu" custom made in India by Josco Jewelers. They said it was the first one ever to be made in the country! (now they have the mold for future brides looking for rose gold)

My Mehndi on one hand included the Philly "Love" sign - from where my husband and I had our first date & first picture together.

That is all for today, my beloved Maharanis! See you next week with more love stories!

Florista Decor and Studio KSD are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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Ladies! Visit today's Platinum Guide Blog, and get ready to be amazed by Heather & Vats' wedding.

Shaadi Destinations and Pixan Photography are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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Hello, Maharanis! Don't miss Pooja & Parth's wedding in today's Platinum Guide Blog. You'll love it!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
We actually met as kids at a Sweet Sixteen party, I was 15 and he was 16 at the time. We clicked at the time but were too young for anything to actually come of it. On top of that, he was from California and I was from New York. We kept in touch throughout the years as friends and something clicked in 2017 and he asked me to be his girlfriend. I think we knew we were meant to be for a long time but timing was just never on our side until then, but hey better late than never!

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
It was like a fairytale proposal. I'm actually really hard to surprise so he gave up that idea of surprising me with the proposal a long time ago, we knew we were going to get married the moment he asked me to be his girlfriend. But the way he planned every aspect of it was perfect. He had four hand written cards that he gave to my roommates/friends from my dental school. My roommates all pretended to leave for the weekend or had plans but I had a feeling he was going to propose that weekend so I didn't make any plans. My roommate pretended to take me downstairs to help her bring up some packages to our apartment and when I looked outside the doors my other two roommates were waiting by the river balcony and they gave me my first card. We sat and enjoyed the beautiful view, popped a bottle of champagne because it was happening, the guy I had been crushing on was finally going to be my fiance. It was one of the most exciting feelings and I was just genuinely very happy. The second note was given to me by one of my best friends, she surprised me and showed up. In it, he had scheduled an appointment for me to get my nails done but since I already knew it was happening I had gotten them done two days before...oops kinda ruining his plans. The third note, came with some Taco Bell [my favorite, before they got rid of the Mexican Pizza] and I was informed to do my makeup and get into my outfit but my hair would be done at Dry Bar. Lastly, after the outfit, hair and makeup were all done - it led me to the venue where he would be proposing. At the entrance, my brother was waiting to escort me to him, not without some blind folds though. He knew I wanted my family present, it was one of the most important things to me to be able to share that moment with them. I walked up the stairs and stood there blindfolded until I heard the piano, when I removed the blindfold I saw him sitting by the piano playing the song, Perfect by Ed Sheeran. It was the most romantic gesture, he learned the song just to make that moment so special for me. After he proposed, he led me up the stairs to the rooftop where all my family and friends were present. It was truly the most perfect proposal, I wouldn't change a thing.

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
My heart has always leaned more toward pastel lehengas. Originally, the plan was to go to India back in May 2020 after I graduated from NYU College of Dentistry to shop for our wedding in August 2020, but covid happened and plans were completely changed. Fortunately, we came across a shop in NYC called Ave India Fashion Design Collective where Priyam and Meera Aunty helped me find my dream wedding outfit. As soon as I saw the blush lehenga by Anushree Reddy on the rack it caught my eye instantly. After putting it on and seeing my family's reaction I knew it was the one.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
After the night of the Sangeet, one of our close friends, Viraj actually had everyone say their favorite part about the wedding. It was one of the best feelings hearing that everyone has been enjoying the wedding festivities to that moment. All the events took place in Anaheim, CA and it is odd for it to rain during August, however the day of the mehendi - the only outdoor event we had it began to drizzle. My mom considers it a good omen, that god is blessing us with the start of the wedding festivities. Everyone actually loved dancing in the rain, it was a beautiful start to the wedding festivities. Our favorite part was seeing the smiles on everyones faces and hearing/seeing how much they enjoyed themselves throughout the festivities. That was the most rewarding part.

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
Ahh this is a tough one because there are so many. My favorites have to be my first look with Chuck [real name is Parth but everyone calls him Chuck], my first look with my dad, kaka [uncle], brother and little brother and lastly with my bridesmaids. Everyones reactions made my heart melt. Another favorite moment was when he put sindoor and my mangalsutra on; we had been court married for a year on our original wedding date but finally having this happen made it official official and it meant the world to me.

Dolled up by Lulu, Peter Nguyen Studio and The Westin Anaheim Resort are members of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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Happy Monday, beautiful Maharanis! We missed you during the weekend, and we are excited to be back with more energy to continue sharing amazing stories with all of you! So, let's wait no more and get ready to unveil today's love story featuring Mohni & Balpreet's wedding celebration. We are sure you will love it! We are starting our journey through this fabulous wedding celebration by joining our two lovebirds at their colorful Sangeet held at Royal Albert's Palace. This joyful event was the perfect start for this real-life fairytale, and we absolutely loved Mohni's gorgeous look, featuring an exquisite lengha from Nazranaa. After the pre-wedding events, it was time to head over to the Dashmesh Darbar Gurdwara for the Sikh wedding ceremony that united these two in marriage. We are sure that more than one of the guests dropped a tear of joy when seeing our lovely Mohni walking down the aisle! She looked breathtaking in her elegant and fashionable Lengha from Raghav Creations. Ramanpreet Kaur complemented this head-turning look with sleek makeup and hairstyle designs that still have us sighing. And we cannot forget about the incredible Mehndi by Henna by Pallavi, which took Mohni's look to the next level. Without any question, this winning combo provided a well-balanced combination of tradition, elegance, and beauty to the overall look. The final result: A dreamy look that exceeded all expectations! If you want to check more of this sweet couple, head into this gallery for more. The good friends from Prime House Productions shared the shots taken during this event, and we've put them all together for your enjoyment. And believe us, every single image is a visual delight you don't want to miss. So wait no more and get ready to be amazed by this wedding!

How did you meet your Groom and when did you know he was "the one"?
My husband Balpreet and I actually first met through Facebook. Back then Facebook was the main source of social media and the norm of being on the site 24/7. We were both in the middle of our first semester of college and decided to meet up at an event happening nearby. We talked in-person for about 5 minutes but we both left smiling. We haven't stopped talking since!

I don't have an exact time of when I knew my husband was "the one" - I just knew. He became such an important part of my life that I just couldn't not see him in it.

Share the scoop on your Proposal Story!
My husband proposed to me in August of 2019! It was actually the day of our rokha, but before the event started he told me to get ready and sent an Uber to my house (which was very far from NYC). We both met around Central Park and walked towards Bethesda Fountain and he got down on one knee and proposed! It was perfect. His brother and sister-in-law were there as well with flowers and he had a photographer ready for an intimate photoshoot after.

Tell us how you went about planning your wedding, and your overall experience with the Venues, Hair & Makeup, Outfits, Decor Theme, and all of the other important details.
Once we were set on a date, we finalized venues immediately. That was our biggest concern. We then sought out after the perfect decorators and DJ within our budgets and had them booked as well. However, we planned on getting married in May of 2020, but the pandemic hit and we had to postpone. Thankfully the second date we chose which was in September of 2020 - things were starting to open up (venues were increasing the amount of people allowed) so it actually worked out. All the venues we had picked for the events were super accommodating and were available for our new date. My hair and makeup artist that I had for all my events actually wasn’t available for the original date so I had to book someone else, but when I found out she was available in September I booked her immediately. Everything fell into place and it was amazing!

How did you select your bridal lengha or wedding dress? Did you have a favorite color in mind?
I’ve always known that I wanted to wear the traditional deep red to my wedding so I was super excited to go shopping for my wedding outfits in India! The day before my flight was scheduled to depart, all Visas and flights to India were stopped due to the pandemic. It was a huge bummer. It was hard trying to find outfits online in the middle of everything being shutdown.

I was actually scrolling through TikTok when I came across Raghav Designs page - and I remembered I saved one of their videos months ago of a bridal lengha that I fell in love with. I searched for it, found a few more on his page that I liked and sent it to my family in our WhatsApp group. Without telling them which one I absolutely loved, they all chose that exact same one! I contacted them and that was it. It came out perfect.

What was the most enjoyable part of the planning process, and why?
Planning became hectic because rules and regulations due to the pandemic kept changing weekly. We weren’t sure how everything would pan out, but in the end it all worked out. I think planning the small details with my husband - such as party favors, songs that needed to be played, and helping him choose his outfits were so much fun! Having both our families help plan was such a help! Shopping for jewelry with my three sisters and running errands every other day is what makes all of it so memorable.

What did your guests particularly love about your Wedding?
I’m pretty sure the highlight of the wedding week for both of our families and friends would have to be our Sangeet night. It was the first wedding in the midst of the pandemic and no one had really seen each other in so long. Mix that with an open bar, good food, and lots of dancing.. no wonder it was a hit!

Was there a really special moment in your wedding that constantly replays in your mind?
My favorite part of the wedding was when I walked down the “aisle” with my parents and then seeing Balpreet for the first time after sitting down. I was nervous, but not too nervous, and after seeing him it just went away!

What a great way to start the week! Make sure to join us tomorrow for a new love story.

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Good morning, beautiful Maharanis! We hope you are ready to dive into a new love story because we have a wedding in Paradise that we are sure will make you sigh. So, let's get ready to enjoy all the fabulous details surrounding Shraddha & Amit's wedding! This time, we will take you to the Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya to enjoy this memorable event thoroughly orchestrated by JC Castillo Weddings, who worked his magic to bring Shraddha & Amit's dream wedding come to life! As you might imagine, planning a wedding during the pandemic was not easy, and after exploring all their options, these lovebirds decided to celebrate their dream wedding on the beach. And what a great decision it was because exchanging vows in Paradise amongst the people who love them the most is what a real-life fairytale is all about! With the picture-perfect landscape and lovely decor crafted by Pistilo, this was the perfect backdrop for Shraddha & Amit to say "I do" in front of their family and friends. Our gorgeous Maharani stole the show as she approached the Mandap, donning a glamorous lengha by Herpret Couture, very well complemented with the exquisite makeup and hairstyle designed by Sara Tamargo Makeup & Hair. To tied it all together, she got a beautiful Mehndi outlined by Loto Mehndi, adding an extra touch of traditional flair to an already captivating look! After the wedding ceremony, it was time to celebrate the newlyweds with a glamorous reception party animated by MVP DJs. The canopy of lights, the enchanting decor, and the love of this couple made this night one to remember! If you want to unveil all the beauty surrounding this lovely wedding, don't miss today's jaw-dropping gallery by Sweet Caribbean Photo. Every shot is a visual masterpiece you will love! And before we go, we want to give a big shoutout to Shaadi Destinations for helping Shraddha & Amit with transportation for their guests. Because we know that your special day would not be the same if you didn't have all your family by your side!

Enjoy your weekend, ladies! See you on Monday for more.

Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya is a member of the Platinum Guide. Love what you see? Explore their portfolios.

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